10 Vegan Lifestyle Benefits for You and the Environment
A transition to a vegan lifestyle is the best healthy life decision you can make. There are so many ways that a vegan lifestyle can help improve not only our lives but the environment as well.
Reason #1: Eating Vegan Helps You Lose Weight
This is probably the main reason why people switch to a vegan diet, and for good reason. As many as 16 studies suggest that a plant-based diet indeed helps in losing excess weight. This could be the result of a higher fiber intake, which induces satiety and leads to lower consumption of calories overall.
In one of these studies, the vegan diet helped participants lose 4.2 kg more than the control diet over an 18-week period. Even when the participants of the vegan diet were allowed to consume until they were full, they still lost more weight than the control group, who were on a calorie restriction.
Reason #2: Veganism Lowers the Risk Of Heart Disease
It is common knowledge that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease. Several scientific studies prove it. One study concludes that vegans have a 75% lower risk of developing hypertension than the general population and up to 42% less risk of dying from heart diseases.
Reason #3: You’ll Effortlessly Increase Your Nutrient Intake
Not all vegan diets are created equal. However, when done correctly, vegan diets tend to supply a generous amount of fiber, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E.
On the other hand, deficiently-planned vegan diets (e.g. vegan options in fast food restaurants) may lack essential fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine or zinc. Building your diet around whole plants and foods is the key, and in some cases you may want to take supplements such as vitamin D and vitamin B12.
Reason #4: Your Cancer Risk Will Be Lower
A diet heavy in red meat puts people at higher risk for certain cancers such as colon and prostate cancer. The vegan diet consists primarily of legumes, fruits, and vegetables that contain fiber and extra amounts of vitamin C, all believed to protect against certain types of cancer.
Reason #5: Vegan Foods Boost Your Energy Levels
Processed fats and sugar, all โstaplesโ of the modern diet, deplete energy sources. On the other hand, eating foods rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals is known to boost energy levels.
Hossein Ardehali, MD, a cardiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that our heart draws 70% of its fuel from fat. However, not all fats are created equal. Animal fat is notoriously known to cause clogged arteries while vegan options such as avocados, almonds, and olive oil can feed your heart (and the rest of your body) with healthy energy.
Reasons #6: A Vegan Diet Improves Athletic Performance
Whether youโre doing sports professionally or recreationally, a vegan lifestyle could help you stay ahead of the competition.
Although conflicting studies exist regarding protein-rich versus vegan diets in a sports context, you cannot argue with the results. Vegan sports stars such as Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, David Haye, and Hector Bellerin continue to rise in their respective sports.
Reason #7: It’s Good For the Environment
Following a vegan diet, and to a further extent, embracing a vegan lifestyle does the Earth a whole lot of good.
It takes less toll on the planet to feed a vegan. Meat production, on the other hand, places such a heavy burden on the environment and the amount of grain needed to feed cattle and farm animals is a contributor to deforestation and loss of habitat. Did you know that it takes up to 200 times more water to raise a pound of beef than to raise a pound of plant-based food?
Remember, protecting the environment is protecting our own life.
Reason #8: Veganism May Improve Longevity by 6 to 9 Years
This is a matter of controversy between vegans and meat-eaters based on a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The direct reason why vegans live considerably longer (up to six to nine years) than their carnivorous counterparts may not be directly attributed to not eating meat, but to a generally healthier lifestyle: vegans are more likely to be health-conscious, are more likely to exercise, consume less alcohol, and resist smokingโall factors that contribute to a longer life.
Reason #9: A Healthy Vegan Diet Makes Your Skin Glow
Wrinkling and other signs of aging are a concern for all of us, but according to experts, going vegan might be the answer. Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of Forever Young: The Science of Nutrigenomics for Glowing, Wrinkle-Free Skin and Radiant Health at Every Age says the zinc contained in beans battles zits and inflammation.
Other studies like the one conducted by Leslie Baumann, MD, the chief executive officer of the Baumann Cosmetic and Research Institute in Miami Beach, Florida conclude that dairy products contribute to acne. Dr. Baumann recommends incorporating ground flaxseeds and olive and safflower oils to help the skin retain water, making it supple.
Reason #10: A Vegan Diet Improves Sleep Quality
Vegans will noticeably have more energy by day, and feel better when bedtime rolls around, too.
Nuts, vegetables, and fruits such as pineapples, oranges, and cherries are known to help the body produce natural melatonin. Almonds pack a high amount of the amino acid tryptophan, which helps the body produce serotonin and melatonin – both of which aid in good quality sleep.
